Showdown with Shade, the Kagekyo's Fire!
Previously on My Inferno: The skilled warrior known as Sadow Yatsumaru agrees to accompany the giant, Baldr, as he guides his mistress, Pandora the Olympian, to her homeland of Olympus. On their journeys, however, they are captured by the ravaged Oni and held prisoner, until a subsequent attack by the greedy Union Trade Guild, who attempts to enslave the Oni. They are saved when a riled Sadow defeats them and sends them fleeing for their lives. In gratitude, the Oni allow the group to pass. And so, what new surprises lie in wait for the traveling group? thumb|300px|right|Opening When Hunger Strikes All that could be heard was the growls of everyone's stomachs as they walked. Baldr only clutched his stomach and looked discontent, whilst Pandora used both hands to clutch hers and looked in pain. Uriel looked up at the bright sun beating down on their heads and collapses to her knees "I can't take much more of this! No food... No water... No sign of civilization anywhere..." Sadow grimaced "Even an Angel needs such things? Now Heaven doesn't sound so promising." Uriel objects "Earth binds everyone to these needs! Though, I seem to suffer it ten fold somehow..." Sadow retorts "Probably because of your weak, frail body." She looked comically angry at this and objected "Well aren't you hungry?!" He nodded "Of course I am. Though we Yatsumaru are trained to ignore hunger and thirst for days if we have to." Uriel moaned "Must be nice..." Pandora stumbled over to a cactus next to a cliff and tried to chip away at it to access the water inside. Sadow helped her by slicing the top off, allowing her to drink the water inside. She smiled up at her "Thanks." He smirked and continued on the path. She turned to sip the water but found it had completely dried thanks to Uriel drinking all the water in the time it took Pandora to thank Sadow. Uriel belched and rubbed the water on her lips away with the back of her hand as Pandora protested "Hey!" Uriel smiled back at her and apologized meekly "Sorry~" Pandora chased after her comically, until stopping both by Uriel taking to the air and Pandora's hunger pains striking once more. Noticing her having trouble continuing to walk, Sadow turned around and picked her up "If you can no longer walk like the rest of us, I suppose I'll have to carry you." She blushed and looked away "You... don't have to..." Ignoring her, Sadow carried her in his arms on the path, as Uriel perched on Baldr's shoulder like a bird "So, big guy, where is the nearest civilization and how far are we from it?" Baldr answered plainly "A town called Baskerville, and approximately fourteen miles, at least." Uriel gasped "Fourteen!? I'll never make it that faaar!" Sadow looked unamused "Yes you will. Stop whining." Uriel leaped off of Baldr's shoulder and walked in front of Sadow, her hands at her hips "Nice way to talk to a lady. A poor, defenseless lady who's so hungry she could die-" Before she could end her sentence, Sadow had landed his foot in her rear, causing her to yelp in pain and jump. He walked past her as Pandora stuck her tongue out at her in retaliation for drinking all of the cactus water. Uriel rubbed her sore rear while grumbling "Oh you are so bad..." As the group neared the town, they noticed how abandoned it appeared. They walked with caution toward the ghost town, Pandora muttering while glancing around for any forms of life "There's hardly a soul in sight..." Sadow whispered to Baldr while noticing a frightened person staring at them from a window, the room they are in dark and shrouded "Keep on your guard. This town reaks of a trap waiting to happen." Baldr nodded and gruffed in agreement, noticing a man armed with a hunting rifle surveying them on a wooden balcony over a shop, sunglasses reflecting the sun off their dark lenses and a Ten-Gallon hat shading him from the heat. His lower jaw periodically lowered and lifted back up as he chewed his tobacco calmly. As they passed him, Sadow could hear him make a snorting sound and then spit into a small bronze dish. Uriel gave a look of utter disgust while watching the guard and walking, not noticing another haggard old man carrying a cart full of cloth-covered supplies. She bumped into him and he gave a startled look of disbelief. She raised her hands apologetically "Oh, I'm so sorry, I..." She then realized that he couldn't see her and sighed in relief upon him shrugging off the notion and pulling out a large bottle of whisky. She passed him by as he downed it, waving her hand in front of her face with a look of disgust "This town isn't the only thing that reaks..." Sadow gestured to a Tavern labeled "The Og-Knox Inn". Baldr nodded as Sadow handed Pandora over to him for them to wait outside, Baldr unnable to fit through the entrance. As he entered, Sadow immediately noticed the type of crowd he was familiar with. Scum. Groups of angry, suspicious old men glared in his direction, waiting and measuring his strength by appearance. In the corner, a scrawny, bird-looking young man tossed darts at a target, but missed each time. "Cor blimey, mate! I neva' fackin' hit the bloody thing!" A muscley friend of his gruffed "'course not! Yer' no fuckin' Kagekyo, Rufus! Hey bartender, another Jack!" The bartender nodded while wiping a mug clean with a wet towel and turned to Sadow while pouring some foamy ale into another mug "What can I get ya'?" Sadow asked "Do you have any rooms available?" The bartender nodded while sliding the foam-topped mug across the bar counter. The man quickly downed the beverage, wiped the foam from his lips, and tried a hand at the dart-tossing game, which he also failed to hit. The dart, instead, stuck itself into the head of a bald patron, who angrily got to his feet and pulled the dart out, ready to fight the thrower. He waved the dart around "Who da' fuck did dis'?!" The thrower of the dart straightened and looked sternly at him, ready for a fight "I did." The bald-headed man pulled out a rather large hunting knife to stab the man with, but as they started to get closer, a mysterious figure got in between them. He was wearing the same type of hat as the guard outside on the balcony was, and a black bandana was slung over the lower half of his face concealingly. His dark hair was semi-long and parted to cover his right eye. The left looked like that of a hawk, stoic and vigilant. The bald man shouted at him, spit flying onto the strangers' coat "What're ya' doin' ya' brat! Ya' wanna get shit-tossed!?" The stranger simply turned his focus on him then, then extended his hand offeringly "The dart, please." The bald man gave a look of disbelief "Wha?! I-" He was interrupted by the bird-looking man "Just give 'em da' sodding dart!" The bald man tentatively handed the stranger the dart and, without looking, he tossed it at the target board. It struck the center perfectly, surprising all of them. "How'd ya' do dat?!" The stranger closed his visible eye and extended his hand for more darts. They scrambled to collect all the darts and handed it to him, the bald man however was skeptical "It was luck, I tell ya'. 'e's nuttin' more than a lucky wanka' with bad taste in clothin'! He-" before he could continue his rant, he was rendered speechless by the stranger's performance. One-by-one, this mysterious man nailed the target with each dart to form a perfect cross, all with his eye closed. He then turned to the bird man and explained casually "Try not to throw your arm back too much when you throw. And alcohol consumption tends to affect depth perception, making it impossible to judge how far away something really is. When these factors are taken into account, one's aim is severely crippled. That is my answer to why you miss so much." He was amazed "Wh-Who are you...?" The stranger removed his hat and bandana, revealing his face "They call me Shade." All three at once gasped, the bartender even letting his jaw fall as well as the glass mug, which shattered on the ground. They all stood stunned by the answer "Sh-Shade of.... Shade of the Night Breeze?!" Shade closed his eye and turned, placing his hat and bandana on the coat rack next to the entrance and taking a seat in the far corner of the room. Sadow raised a brow while staring at Shade and whispered to the bartender "Just what's so special about him?" The bartender looked surprised that Sadow didn't know "What isn't?! He's Shade of the Night Breeze! A marksman of unrivaled skill. A Kagekyo prodigy." Sadow's eyes widened slightly "Did you say he was a Kagekyo...?" The bartender nodded "And a frighteningly skilled one at that. Even amongst a family of skilled marksmen, his accuracy and precision is renown to silence a fortress! Where the Yatsumaru are skilled in melee combat, the Kagekyo are famed for their shooter skills. And Shade is the prized jewel of their family, trained from birth to fire a gun. I wonder what the hell he's doing here..." Shade, overhearing their conversation, ignored them and continued to rest, his breathing light. Meanwhile, Pandora, Baldr, and Uriel waited outside the bar. Whereas Baldr simply stood in place as Pandora kicked her legs forward while sitting on a bench, Uriel used her own angelic wings to fan herself despite resting in the shade "Ugh... How long is he gonna make us wait?" Pandora thought to herself while staring off in the distance "I hope he isn't getting into it with that strange guy that just walked in... He looked... intimidating." At this, Sadow walked out and Uriel put her hands on her hips sternly "About time! Do you know how hot it is out here?!" Sadow simply confirmed "They have rooms but... Baldr will have to sleep in the shack out back." Baldr nodded "I am accustomed to not being supplied sufficient bedding. The ground has become more of a bed to me than a real one." Pandora gave a concerned look at Baldr "Are you sure you'll be alright out here all night? If you need anything, just shout up at our windows, alright?" Baldr nodded "I thank you for your courtesy, milady." She smiled and joined Sadow and Uriel in the tavern. Upon reaching their designated rooms, Sadow turned to Uriel "You'll be sleeping with Pandora." Uriel yawned "Fine by me. Though I wouldn't have minded a strong, Yatsumaru warrior to protect me while I'm sleeping..." She batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously, to which he shrugged off "Then you will be dissappointed to know that won't be happening soon." Uriel gave a comically snooty face "Jerk..." At this, they enter their rooms. Sadow immediately fell on the bed and, without meaning to, drifted off to sleep. Uriel removed her armour pieces and rested her sword against the wall "I'm gonna take a bath, is that alright? We've been walking for days..." Pandora nodded while looking out the window at Baldr, who was being showed to his "room". Uriel walked entered the bathroom and started the bath, and sighed in relaxation upon entering it. Pandora, in the meantime, sat on her bed and wrote in a small diary. Meanwhile, in a small town a few miles from the one they are in, two guards play a card game on a crate while smoking and sitting in metal foldup chairs. One layed down his cards "Checker-Ten." The second laughed chokingly and layed his down "Three-Fold!" The guard with the Checker-Ten exclaimed "You son of a bitch!" At this, he placed three coins on the crate and the winning guard chuckled in delight while moving them to his side. As the winning guard took a celebritory swig from his drink, the other guard squinted his eyes, unnable to fully see with the darkness of the night added with his alcohol consumption. He murmured "Hey, Fez... Check it out..." The guard identified as Fez turned his head while drinking and noticed it to. A lone man carrying a large sword striding toward the town. They slung their rifles over their backs and strode down the wooden staircase to greet him "Hey, big guy! You must be the courier we sent for! Mind showing us the papers?" The mysterious swordsman kept walking, ignoring them. Fez pulled out his rifle and aimed it at the swordsmans' head "He's no courier, Hank! He's a fucking bandit! Just look at that swor-" Before he could even finish his word, the swordsman had passed them, though his sword was unsheathed and in his right hand, covered in blood. Slowly the guards' bodies fell apart in neat slices, blood covering the soil they were on. The swordsman simply continued into the town. In a matter of minutes, it would be lit aflame, with him exiting as if it were nothing. Walking on Hot Coals Sadow felt something warm and soft in his arms. Ignoring what it could be, he held it close as he slept, smiling. Though what felt like a feather rubbed his nose, causing him to awaken slightly to scratch it. It is at this moment that he realizes what is in his arms: Uriel, who slept just as peacefully as he. Thankfully she was wearing a nightgown, though he had a good view of her cleavage from where he was laying. The feathery thing that had rubbed his nose was one of her wings, which he just noticed was considerably smaller than the other. He closed his eyes and stood up, easily rolling her off of him and onto the wooden ground. "Gah! WHat the..." He folded his arms while looking down at her sternly "I told you to sleep in Pandora's room if you had to." Uriel put on a pouting look while sitting on the ground, her hair a mess "Well Pandora wasn't awake by the time my bath was done and... I was just so lonely..." Sadow retorted "I wasn't awake either moron." She continued her excuse "It was also so cold in that room... And I thought your arms would be a little more welcome than Pandoras'..." He turned and started putting back on his armour. He was thankful he was at least wearing pants when she decided to make her move. "Well you were wrong." She got to her feet "I assume we're heading out now, right?" Sadow continued to put on his armour and answered "We'll get some rations first and have breakfast. Then we'll leave." Uriel stretched "Sounds good. I haven't had a hot meal in days! This sort of treatment is completely unsuitable for a young lady, you know!" Sadow finished attaching his red cloths and warned "Don't make me spank you again." She frowned and got up and went to the bathroom to get dressed. When everyone was awoken and ready, they went downstairs to get breakfast, to which Pandora had to bring Baldr. While he ate his eggs, Sadow asked the bartender "Can I get some food rations? Jerky, nuts, mixed fruits, stuff like that?" The bartender nodded and got some from a drawer under the counter. "That'll be 2 silvers." Sadow layed the two silver coins on the counter along with his cleaned plate and took the bags of rations. As he walked over to the table, a commotion had stirred outside. It was soon silenced by the sound of a loud gunshot. Outside, a group of Bandits riding steam-powered motorcycles aimed their guns at the people in the town, a bleeding guard in front of them with the head of the Bandits aiming at him, smoke fuming from the barrel of his pistol. The Bandit leader introduced himself in a metallic, raspy voice "The name's Rex. Artonius Rex. And if I hear you talk to me like that again yer' brains will paint this here town, ya' understand?" The guard clenched his teeth while putting pressure on the wound. Sadow muttered to Uriel and Pandora "Get upstairs. Things are about to get a little crazy..." They nodded and quickly ran upstairs as the bartender prepared his shotgun and hid it under the table. Meanwhile, Rex shouted "Now an outpost for my operation was burned to the ground last night. I wanna know who did it. Now I better start hearing answers, or mister Law-man here gets an extra shit hole on his head." He got off of his motorcycle and aimed his revolver at the guard's head. Just then, a young voice boomed down at them "That wouldn't be smart. These people, including I, know nothing of what you're talking about. Your best bet is to just move on." Sitting in a rocking chair on one of the bar's balconies, polishing his rifle, was Shade, who stared down at them emotionlessly. Rex turned to the source of the voice and aimed his revolver at him "Oh...? And just who the fuck are you?" Shade replied calmly, not even flinching despite having a loaded gun pointed at him "Shade Kagekyo. Son of Eclipse." At this, Rex let out a metallic series of roars which must have been laughter. "Right. And I'm the Queen of Brittannia!" Shade's expression didn't change, despite the entire gang laughing at him. His laughter subsiding, Rex adjusted his aim and muttered "Bullshit." He emptied his entire gun into Shade's torso, to which he fell frontward and landed on his stomach, in front of the bar. The patrons gasped as who they thought was Shade was killed. Some muttered to each other "Maybe he wasn't really Shade afterall... Perhaps he was hoping the lie he made earlier to get discounts on his drinks would help intimidate these guys. Well looks like his bluff didn't cut it." Sadow, however, knew better. He continued to watch as Rex strolled merrily over to Shade's "corpse" and kicked it mockingly "Show me that marksman prowess you got there, Kagekyo! Shade of the Night Breeze! Pah, what a fucking joke! If I still had half my jaw, I'd spit on this piece of garbage! But anyway..." He turned and continued "Unless you wanna end up like Shade over here, fork up your cash and valuables, and we'll pass by like nothin' happened!" Just then, a flare shot up into the sky, making the town red from the glaring flash. The gang members stared up at it in surprise and Rex bellowed "Who fired that?!" Everyone of them looked at him in confusion, none of them being distant enough to have fired it. One of the bandits pointed to the spot where Shade's body was laying, to which it was there no longer. Rex's eyes widened "What the fuck...?! What's happening?!" A noise was heard that sounded like someone had kicked wood, and a wooden barrel filled with flammable lamp fluid landed on it's side and rolled to them, spilling the fluid on the ground they were standing on. They formed a circular position and aimed their guns in different directions, fearful of their lives at this point. Rex merely surveyed the situation and tried to pinpoint where Shade was. He was caught off guard by a barrage of bullets all being fired at his men, who were only severaly frightened by their weapons shattering in their grip from the impact of the bullets. Shade had aimed for their guns only, but watched on as the flare that had shot up into the sky earlier came back down onto the ground they were on, igniting it and roasting them in a circle of hot death. Rex, witnessing this first-hand, bitterly turned and attempted to fire at Shade, but only heard a doom-saying click informing him of his gun's empty cartrage. His eyes widened in shock as Shade explained "Perfect timing and execution. I wore a bullet-proof vest under this coat and took advantage of your overzealousness to reload your gun and your eagerness to unload every round into me. I planted that flare in the ground upon hearing the rumblings on the ground signalling your motorcycles, knowing full-well what they were and who usually bought them. The lamp oil was something the bartender allowed me to use as a means of getting rid of you. Now..." he pulled out his own revolver and aimed it at Rex "Will you give up?" Rex and everyone present who wasn't burning to death were utterly blown away by this. Rex questioned "How could you have planned so far ahead?!" Shade pointed to the ground in front of him "By listening to the ground, I managed to hear your motorcycle's rumblings. The sound waves were specifically like that of a steam-powered Royale-4000. I then planted the flare that is now turning your men into charcoal." Rex muttered while lowering his weapon in submission "Bastard..." Shade lectured "You're lack of proper strategical planning has lead to your humiliating defeat and also the deaths of your comrades. I hope you feel satisfied." The patrons in the bar, who were handed guns during the ensuing battle, exited and took the bandit leader to the small jailhouse to await conviction. Sadow exited the tavern and greeted "Yo." Shade glanced at him and questioned "You are a Yatsumaru, right? I overheard you and your campanions while you were all eating breakfast." Sadow nodded "And you are, clearly, a Kagekyo." Shade, in turn, nodded "I am... sorry for your loss..." Sadow looked away, avoiding the subject "Anyway... you seemed to handle yourself quite well out here." Shade shrugged casually by the compliment "I was paid to protect the town, but now that my contract is up, I need to seek out more work." Sadow suggested while turning to head back into the tavern "You might wish to talk to the giant in the shed. We could use another hand." Shade raised a brow curiously "For what?" Sadow walked up the steps and answered "Guarding an Olympian girl." Shade stood there, contemplating the answer and whether or not he should take them up on their offer. Sadow, in the meantime, met Pandora and Uriel upstairs "The fight is over. The Bandits are dead." Pandora questioned "Dead...?" Sadow nodded "All of them but one were killed by a marksman known as Shade. I recommended him to Baldr as support for guarding you." Pandora looked unnerved by this "I don't know... Did he regret killing those men at all...?" Sadows' eyelids faltered in understanding of her feelings "Those men were willing to butcher this entire town. They got what was coming to them." Uriel added to Pandora's objection "But what if he tries to kill us too...?" Sadow explained "I doubt he would. He is a Kagekyo, a contract mercenary and a hired gun. We would be employers, not targets." Pandora muttered, turning away "I don't exactly trust a man who is so quick to claim a human life..." Sadow turned to head back downstairs "Morality isn't the question. Duty is." At this, he walked down the stairs to see if Baldr and Shade were discussing his addition to the group. Eloquent Execution The swordsman stride, the red cloth uniform of his swaying with each step he made. His sword was sheathed on his back, held tightly to his chest by a leather strap. He stopped momentarily and rested on a rock. Taking his right arm, he undid black thread ties to his sleeve and revealed the arm to be a steam-powered prosthetic, which clanked with each movement. Loosening a dial on the side of his elbow and bending the elbow out, it began to emit steam and hissed as the gaseous water poured out. When it was finished, he re-adjusted the dial and re-tied the arm. He then pulled a jug from behind him and pulled off the cork. He had to unbutton the chin-high collar on his uniform to be able to drink from it. His face was slightly wrinkled from age, appearing like a forty-year old man. He wiped the honey-coloured elixir from his lips and re-corked the jug, re-attaching it to his side and preparing to head off. His goggle-like sunglasses made seeing his eyes impossible. He strode slowly, clearly in no hurry to get where he wanted to be. A tumbleweed passed him by, the wind lifting it and carrying it in the direction he was heading. He merely muttered to himself "Almost there." Baldr pleaded in his typical casual, deadpan way. "Please." Shade leaned against the bar wall as Sadow and Baldr tried to persuade him to come along. He countered "Olympus is a long ways away. And there's still work to be done in these Back Country lands. Although, if what that Rex guy said is true, Dodge City isn't going to be giving out any more bounties. Well, it was a Bandit haven anyway." Sadow reminded "You're getting off topic." Shade nodded "Quite right. Will you two be able to pay me up front? And how much would it be, anyhow?" Baldr answered since he knew more about their contract than Sadow "My master and Pandora's father will pay you on arrival. Either in money, or with other means." Shade raised a brow "Other means...?" Sadow answered this time "A new weapon, some armour, repairs, food, etcetera." Shade scratched his chin in thought "I am not cheap, you know. A Kagekyo is worth almost a hundred men, and that's for a single rookie." Baldr countered once again "Lord Hephaestus is a powerful, influential man. He can get you your price." Shade was, despite using his emotionless expression to hide it, clearly tempted to accept the deal. He asked "What opposition are you expecting?" Baldr replied "Any. As you said, it will be a long journey. Long journeys tend to be filled with... obstacles." Shade nodded in understanding "Uncertain odds with uncertain amounts of pay. Well what are we waiting for?" Baldr merely nodded in acknowledgement "Excellent." Sadow couldn't help but smirk and followed Shade back into the bar "I already like this guy." Pandora and Uriel were waiting on them. Shade's eye widened slightly "Why is that girl wearing angel wings? And why is one smaller than the other?" Sadow just then noticed that Uriel's left wing was significantly smaller than the right. He could've slapped his palm to his forehead at how he had missed that. She fumed with comical fury "I know, alright?! It's shorter than the other! I have a growth disability! What about it, huh!? It wouldn't be different if your leg was stubbier than the other!" Shade grimaced and turned to Sadow "Growth problem? Does she believe she is a real angel?" Sadow sighed, the confusion was giving him a headache "You'll find out in good time." Uriel huffed and turned her back to Shade with her arms crossed. Pandora, however, bowed to him politely "Greetings, sir. I am Pandora. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shade bowed back "I am known as Shade Kagekyo." Sadow beamed "Oh! That reminds me, Shade. Why do they call you Shade of the Night Breeze anyway?" Shade sighed in annoyance "It's a... title I have unwantedly garnered after a certain mission. During a night attack on Fort Hessen, I apparently cleared a field of one-hundred soldiers when, in all actuality, I simply dispatched a squadron of twenty-seven. Yet, the feat was so 'impressive' that some guards who saw the event either mistook the squadron for an entire battalion, which I highly doubt, or started to spread a rumour about me for the benefit of being able to claim to have been there. Makes you pity today's society, really." Sadow and Pandora were wide-eyed with shock at how calmly Shade can recall having brought down twenty-seven men. Uriel scoffed "As if..." Pandora asked seriously "...Do you regret it? Taking the lives of those men?" Shade took a moment to consider his answer and replied "Mercy and regret are the anchor to survival. To survive, I must eat. To eat, I need money. To get money, I need a skill. For a skill, I shoot. It's true that I could simply shoot at, say, a circus event and get prize money to live off of. But when you've lived in a family of contract killers who are proud of their heritage, skill, and fame, doing such things don't exactly get you a proud hug at a family reunion. Working as a contracted killer is expected of all Kagekyo men, and some women. It is our right, as my father likes to proclaim." Pandora looked burdened by this answer "So it is your right to take another humans' life?" Shade shrugged "I do wonder about it, at times. After all, we Kagekyo aren't heartless, cold-killing-machines. Though I always come to the resolution that I never kill innocence. I only work in wars, killing men who have signed up for death for pride, money, country, fame, or any other reason. I kill out of necessity, not murder. And I can take some solace in the fact that this mission requires me to defend a life, rather than claim it." She smiled "You took some time to think about this." Shade smirks and pats her head "All who kill must do." Dust settled on the ground as the wind blew. Baldr waited patiently as Shade, Sadow, Pandora, and Uriel all exited the tavern, introductions through. Sadow slung a pack of rations over his shoulder while Baldr carried bedrolls. Sadow turned to Shade "Do you have everything you need...?" Shade nodded "Until we reach the next settlement, I have enough ammunition. I suggest we head out now before the sun goes down." Sadow nodded in agreement "Alright. We'll probably cut through Snake-Curve Basin and-" His eyes widened and he jolted around as if hearing a loud crash. The others were on alert as Shade asked "What's wrong...?" Sadow narrowed his eyes and watched the horizon. Distantly, a small shadow began to form. Someone was approaching the town. Pandora looked at the shadow then at Sadow and asked "What is it, Sadow?" He commanded sternly "Uriel, take Pandora back into the bar. We'll get you when it's time to go." Uriel, shivering in fear from the creeping figure, nodded and ushered Pandora back into the tavern. Baldr asked "More Bandits?" Sadow shook his head "Worse." Shade merely watched on, amazed that he had not felt the vibrations of the earth underground signalling the figure's walking. He was moving so casually but without making a single sound. It was almost... inhuman. Shade asked "Sadow, do you know who or what this is...?" Sadow kept his gaze fixed on the figure, who was now no longer a shadow. His full appearance was coming into view. He was a man appearing to be age forty to fifty, his short brown hair merely whitened on one bang. He hid his eyes behind goggle-like sunglasses, as black as his false arm, which was tied to the sleeve of his robe with a string. He kept his other arm in his robe, dangling out the opening of the front like it was dead. He wore a chin-high collar that was strapped to the torso part of his outfit, hiding his mouth. His uniform was almost like a priest robe from Huang, red and elaborate. The lower part swayed with each stride of his legs, his dark boots landing on the hard dirt but not even making a crunch, like a phantom. But his most distinguishing trait was the ridiculously large sword he carried on his back. It's design suggested it was meant for cutting, and the handle was elongated for two hands. It was clearly Huangese, the oriental appearance giving away its' origin at first site. He didn't so much as slouch from the heavy burden he carried, his back straight and his posture perfect like a well-trained soldier. Sadow also noticed a jug connected to his side by beads, the liquid inside swishing and swashing with each movement. Upon reaching the archway-entrance of the town, the swordsman only stared at the trio like a rock facing the sun. Sadow smirked and greeted sarcastically "Hello there, welcome to Baskerville. Anything we can help you with, stranger...?" The swordsman answered in a stern, serious, and experienced gruff of a voice "I am looking for someone by the name of... Damien." Sadow whispered to Shade "Do you know who he's talking about?" Shade whispered back while keeping his eyes on the swordsman "No idea." The swordsman overheard this and reached his arm back and clutched the long hilt of his sword while staring at Sadow "A Marked One." Sadow went wide-eyed upon hearing this. That statement confirmed his assumption. Sadow nodded "And you are a Demon." Forcas stood still, not denying the claim. Shade raised a brow "A Demon? Are you some sort of Paladin who makes accusations of Demoncraft left and right?" Baldr added "Truly? I did not know you were of the religious sort, Sadow." Sadow rubbed the back of his head "I'm far from a Paladin or of any 'religious sort'. I am a Marked One. A being who owes a debt to Hell." Both Baldr and Shade were intrigued by this, and asked "And what debt would that be...?" Sadow looked away "Nothing important. Let's just focus on the task at hand." They nodded and turned back to Forcas, who unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the ground in front of him "My name is Forcas the Blood-Letter. Normally I'd just leave, seeing as how you clearly know nothing of what I seek. However... seeing as how you are a Marked One and, according to that armour you wear, a capable fighter, I will instead stay and take your life." Sadow grimaced "I suppose I can't convince you to just leave by saying 'Please don't kill me, there are children present!'" he points to Pandora, who was peeking through a window at the scene. Forcas glanced at her briefly and then back at Sadow "Surely you can't be serious." Sadow smirked "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." Forcas tilted his head curiously "Are all Marked Ones such fools, or are you an exception?" Sadow continued to smirk "What's with the hostility against my kind? Do you owe us money or something?" Forcas taunted once again "You are one to talk of debt, Brand. Hell is your owner, and you are a fool to have gotten mixed up with them." Sadow finally frowned, at last angered by Forcas' words "You have no idea of what I had to go through to push me to rely on the filth that spawned you." Forcas immediately asked "Was it greed? Were you desiring power to succeed those whom you envied?" Sadow didn't answer, so Forcas continued "Or was it for... revenge?" Sadow clenched his teeth and commanded "Shutup..." Forcas nodded in acknowledgement "Revenge is something I can respect. Still, Hell is unrelenting. And there are other ways to get revenge." Sadow bitterly repeated "Shutup..." Forcas persisted "Perhaps, in the end, the one you want revenge against won, thanks to your pitiable decision." Sadow, without hesitation, charged at Forcas with his blades unsheathed "I said shutup!" Forcas, within the blink of an eye, guarded with his large sword. "Easily provoked. What a Human response." Sadow yelled while staring into Forcas' black lenses "Stay back! I'll deal with him!" Sadow backed up and jumped into the air over Forcas, slashing at him from midair. His blades locked with Forcas' and he pushed himself off of them, propelling himself to the ground a few feet away from Forcas. He charged again, letting out a war cry as he readied his blades to collide into Forcas, who merely stepped to the side and spun his blade around to behead Sadow. Shocked by the quick movement, Sadow barely had time to duck as the heavy sharp iron passed over his head. His eyes widened as he saw his frightened expression in the reflection of the metal. "Get a grip!" he told himself mentally "You've faced against Demons before! This asshole is no different!" His words were proven false as Forcas spun the blade around like a pinwheel, his prosthetic hand spinning in circles on the wrist like the machine that it was. Small amounts of steam fumed from the wrist as the hand moved, the blade spinning and digging deep into the ground but running through it like gravel, seconds away from emerging and slicing Sadow in half from the rib up through his torso diagonally. He used both blades to guard, having difficulty moving behind him but managed to block the massive hunk of iron. He was lifted off the ground by the massive sword, and practically thrown across the ground. Forcas, clearly, had strength on his side. Sadow hurriedly jumped to his feet and sped toward the Demon, intent on breaking through his defenses. He made several flurried slices at him, each guarded with ease. Sadow was amazed by Forcas' speed. The blade was barely visible when he guarded the strikes. Distracted, Sadow couldn't escape Forcas' knee-blow to the gut and subsequent knock down with his shoulder slamming into him. Forcas raised his blade to impale Sadow while he was on the ground and muttered darkly "Die, now..." A loud gunshot was heard and Forcas quickly disappeared and reappeared a few feet away from Sadow, staring at Shade who's revolver was trained on him and smoke emitting from the barrel. Forcas warned "Do not get involved, human." Shade kept his aim on Forcas "...Very well." At this, he dropped his gun. As it fell, he pulled a handheld machine gun from behind his hip, apparently from a concealed holster. When the pistol hit the ground, it fired near Forcas, who disappeared and, within the speed of sound, charged at Shade, who was still aiming his gun at the speeding Demon. He sprayed the air in front of him with hot lead, the bullets whizzing past Forcas as he dodged and ducked each one. While charging, Forcas kept his blade dug into the ground. When he was nearing Shade, it rose from the dirt to slash him diagonally through the mid-center, just as he had tried with Sadow. He leaned back so that only his leg was grazed, the sharp edge of the sword passing centimeters over his now-widened eye. Whirling it around, he raised the blade to chop Shade in half vertically as he fell back, helpless before the tower monster in front of him. He brought the blade down, only to be guarded by Baldr's wrist irons. He grunted and heaved as he tried to push back the swordsman, though Forcas' strength rivaled the Giants'. Sadow charged at Forcas from behind while his blade was locked with Baldr's irons. Hearing him, Forcas propelled himself over Baldr and kicked his massive back so that he would lean forward and crush Sadow under his massive weight. Sadow tried desperately to stop but he only skidded across the graveled dirt. Baldr quickly slammed his hand against Sadow's body, knocking him out of the way so that he could fall without crushing him. Sadow tumbled across the dirt and crashed into a wooden barrel, spilling grits everywhere. Baldr mumbled an apology and Sadow waved it off casually. Baldr started to get up and brush himself off a bit as Sadow stood up shakily, grits pouring out of his armour. They both were shocked to see Forcas standing behind a still knocked-down Shade, his sword prepped to behead him. With surprising reflexes, Baldr spun his chains over at Forcas' sword and wrapped them around the blade, pulling them towards him in a dangerous game of tug-o-war. Sadow jumped high into the air and did a front flip onto the chains, balancing on them perfectly while running towards Forcas. Dodging each swift kick Sadow sent his way, Forcas lifted his blade higher to make Sadow lose balance. Though the crafty Yatsumaru simply jumped over the sword and landed gracefully on the blunt-end of the blade, sending it into the ground next to Shade. He made several slashes at Forcas, each not connecting. Finally, he attempted a hard kick to Forcas' chest, only to be surprised by his sudden use of his left hand, which grabbed his foot and flung him away, into a rocking chair on a porch, breaking it and giving Sadow terrible back pain, suggested by his disgruntled look and moaning of discomfort. Forcas heard a sizzling noise and turned back to Shade, who had planted a stick of Dynamite into the ground next to Forcas' foot. Just as Forcas turned, however, Shade also planted a small hunting knife into Forcas' boot, deep enough to heard bones cracking and blood trickling out the bottom and onto the dirt he stood upon. Shade yelled in pain and struggled to get away from the Dynamite as Baldr swung his chains off of Forcas' sword and hurried back, commanding "Run, Yatsumaru! Get away from him!" Sadow, hearing the alert and noticing the burning string sticking out of the ground, hurriedly got up, keeping his hand on his back, and hurried over to the edge of the porch he was on. Forcas struggled to get the knife out of his foot. He would have cut the string connected to the Dynamite by now, had the angle been good enough to do so. Shade had planted it perfectly to where Forcas wouldn't be able to remove the string from the Dynamite unless he cut off his own foot, thus crippling him so he could finish him. Forcas thought to himself while pulling the knife out slowly with his mechanical arm "Crafty human... Everything was set up perfectly... The position of the Dynamite, the depth of the knife in my foot... He even cut the string beforehand so that it would explode quicker, giving me less time to react... Who is he?" With a loud gushing sound and blood spurting out of the entry hole, Forcas managed to pull out the knife and barrel-rolled forward as the Dynamite exploded, sending him flying outside the town, his robe on fire. The fire was put out when Forcas landed hard on the dirt ground, kicking up dust. Inside the bar, Uriel and Pandora both cheered "Bullseye!" Shade, however, kept his gaze fixed on the smoking body. Sadow patted his back congratulatingly "Man, you did it! You Kagekyo are tougher than I thought!" Shade shook his head "He's still alive." Sadows' eyes widened at this and he asked hesitantly "...What?" The smoking body started to rise, emitting a grumbling moan of both discomfort and aggravation. Forcas had his back to the town, and bent over to pick up his glasses, which shattered upon his touch. He stared out them for a moment, only mumbling "Ooooh..." as he slowly crunched them in his grip. Uriel hid behind Pandora, who asked "What's wrong...?" Uriel stared fearfully at Forcas and answered meekly "They made him mad..." Forcas slowly turned to face them, his eyes being revealed to be glowing red and slitted, widened and narrowed with anger. He didn't say a single word as he disappeared and reappeared in front of them, his non-prosthetic fist slamming into Sadow's armour, shattering the center. Sadow exhaled a gasp, losing air and feeling several of his lung sacs burst from Forcas' hard punch. Shade turned to look at them but by that time, Forcas had already grabbed Sadows' arm and lifted him over him and into the air, dislocating it, and propelling Sadow into the hard ground outside of town, just next to Forcas' broken shades. Turning before he had time to aim his revolver, Forcas grabbed his wrist and broke it in his tight grip, causing him to drop his pistol. Shade, knowing what would happen if he simply gave up, tried to reach down with his free hand to the spare hunting knife sheathed at his boot. Before he could, however, Forcas had already unsheathed it by the time his hand had passed his knee and quickly stabbed it into his hand and leg, nailing the former into the latter. He couldn't help but scream in pain. One of his wrists was broken, and his free hand was stabbed into the muscle of his leg. Forcas slammed his forehead hard into Shade's, nearly knocking him unconcious, and threw him into a barrel across the street. Forcas heard a loud yell and turned to see Baldr falling from the sky toward him, both of his hands joined to slam down on him. He disappeared and reappeared next to Forcas when he landed crashingly into the ground. As Baldr prepared a hard punch to the contrastingly smaller combatant, Forcas side-stepped his massive arm and wrapped both of his around it, pulling back and throwing Baldr over him with unbelievable strength. Baldr flew across the field outside of town, over Sadow, and onto a bush of cacti. Sadow spat blood onto the ground and wondered to himself "What... is this guy...?! The strength of twelve Elephants, at least... The speed of a bullet... And the willpower of a fucking monster... How does one fight that? How '''could' someone fight that?"'' Shade was incapable of so much as standing, much less removing the knife from his hand. He knew that if he didn't do anything, the leaking blood would lead to him dying of blood loss or shock. Forcas walked toward Sadow, kicking the hilt of his sword so that it would stand and lifted it by the blunt end and clutching the hilt firmly. Pandora screamed Sadow's name and ran out to him, much to Uriel's protest. She stood in the way of Forcas, who was about to let his blade fall on the wounded warrior. She cried while staring up at him, her arms extended in a cross-like formation. He commanded "Get out of the way, girl." She shook her head "No!" He repeated "Get out of the way or else I will slash through your frail little body as if it were water." She stood still, though trembling, and didn't get out of Forcas' way. Sadows' eyes widened by this, wondering what she was doing. Why she was being so reckless. Forcas asked "Why do you sacrifice yourself for this... Brand?" Pandora asked, choked up from her tears "Why are you trying to kill him?!" Forcas' eyes narrowed in annoyance "Foolish girl. To me, killing is like breathing. I simply do it. It's in my nature." She then persisted "Then why don't you kill me?!" Forcas looked even more annoyed by that question "I would see it as immoral to kill an unarmed innocent. It's what you humans call... honour." She looked surprised by this. The once raging monster of a man calm and collected and telling her about morality after just demolishing her friends and companions. Before she could reply, a loud gunshot was heard and blood sprayed out of Forcas' back. He gasped for air as Pandora saw, far behind him, the bartender had fired a shotgun round into him. Forcas turned to face him but was punched hard by Baldr, who had charged at him while the bartender had him distracted. Forcas flew far into the town and crashed into the shed Baldr was staying in, but from the excessive damage of his collision, it collapsed on Forcas, most likely knocking him unconcious. Baldr commanded "We must quickly run, before he has time to regroup." Pandora protested "But... what about the people in the town." Baldr nodded and yelled at the bartender "Tell the residents of the town that if they wish to live, they must pack up what they need and flee!" The bartender nodded and ran back inside to inform his patrons. Uriel joined them and helped Sadow to his feet while Baldr helped Shade, removing the knife and wrapping his hand, leg, and broken wrist in protective cloth. "Put pressure on the wounds to slow down the bleeding. I'll carry you." Shade nodded a thank you and they were off. Pandora, while running, watched as the townspeople fled for their lives, carrying crates of possessions they could bring. As the town guard packed their things to leave the jailhouse, one of the guards accidentally knocked over the keys to the cells. Using a baton that was laying on a desk close to his cell, Rex managed to move the keys to him and unlock his cell door. He chuckled in his metallic voice "Now then... Let's see this stash of weapons these guards have locked up. But first..." He unlocked the other cell doors, releasing the other prisoners. A bald one with one eye looking in the other direction asked, his voice deep but goofy "Boss... Where are we headin' after we get da' guns...?" Rex didn't look at him but simply unlocked the vault storing the weapons "To pay a visit to an old friend named... Shade..." The bald cohort looked shocked "You mean... Shade of the Night Breeze? Isn't he dangerous?! Besides, there's only four of us... Shouldn't we, perhaps... Lay low, for a while?" Rex examined a Sawnoff shotgun he retrieved from the vault and, without looking, aimed it at the bald cohort and fired at him, blowing a large bullethole through his chest and knocking him onto the table behind him. Rex turned to his other two new comrades "You guys agree with him?" They quickly shook their heads, lest they share their friends' fate. He chuckled sadistically "Good... Now then, let's ride!" Preview Next Chapter, our heroes happen upon an abandoned pastry factory inhabited by a murderous android. But is this enigmatic machine girl hiding more than she lets on? Find out in the next chapter of My Inferno!